With the start of the holiday shopping season just weeks away, wine lovers have lots to chose from right in their back yard.

By law, Pennsylvania wineries are permitted to operate up to five outlet stores apart from their home base. Two wine satellites in particular are area favorites.

"We offer the advantage of letting buyers taste our product before deciding on what to purchase," said Sue Cokain, manager of Arrowhead Wine Cellars satellite store at Trax Farms along Route 88 near Finleyville.

The satellite is really a store within a store; customers at the sprawling Trax Farm Market can make a right turn at the produce section, then nuzzle up to the bar and try any six of the store's 23 white, red, sparkling and fruit wines.

"Because of the state's DUI laws, we limit our 1-ounce pours to six samples per customer," Mrs. Cokain said.

"To clear the palate, we offer wine crackers, and many times do pairings of wine with different foods prepared on the premises, such as cheese fondue made with Reflections of Lake Erie [a white wine] and sauteed apples with Arrowhead's Apple Spice Wine."

The store at Trax Farms is just one of Arrowhead's satellite stores served from its base in North East, Erie County. This year, three Arrowhead wines won three double gold medals at different competitions, an accomplishment very hard to achieve. Winners are the 2005 Reserve Cabernet, the 2006 Dazzling Niagara, a sparkling wine, and the 2006 Vignoles, all of which are available at the store at Trax.

"About 99 percent of our grapes are grown on our 250-acre farm in North East," said Kathy Mobilia, Arrowhead's co-owner, along with her husband, Nick. "Some Cabernet Franc comes from an adjacent vineyard, and we also use apple juice from Soergel's Orchard in Wexford to make apple wine."

The wine store at Trax opened in August 2005, and sales have been increasing ever since. To keep up with demand, the store doubled in size last year, and Mrs. Cokain reports that sales have climbed 35 percent since she took over the manager's slot in March.

"We've had some people come in who say they drink only California wine, then taste our wines and leave the store with bottles."

One new product, the Wine-a-rita, a peach mix blended with dry Riesling, has proven very successful since it was first introduced a month ago. Another version, a berry-mix blended with a dry red wine, has also been a good seller.

Besides wine, the store is stocked with wine accessories. It also customizes gift food and wine baskets and stages wine-tasting events. The next one, titled Holiday Cooking with Wines and Tastings, is scheduled for Nov. 16. Tickets are $35, and reservations must be made by Nov. 3.

The wine store at Trax Farms is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, phone 412-835-3246, ext. 114, or visit www.traxfarms.com.

At the South Side Works on Pittsburgh South Side, the C. T. Miller Vineyards has been operating a satellite store since May 9 in the relatively new shopping and residential complex built on the site of the old steel mill. Twice a week, co-owner Janet Miller makes a 45-minute drive from the 105-acre farm she and her husband, Dr. Clark Theodore Miller, own to the winery's 750-foot satellite store that has what she calls a "chic country ambience."

Step inside the store room and you'll be greeted by a newly built cherry bar and wooden crates that line the walls with displays of wine bottles and gourmet goodies. While wine is obviously the central commodity, the shop also features items such as pates, cheeses, crackers, cookies, specialty vinegars and oils, breads by the Lollipop Tree, pretzels, popcorn, dips, canned soups and pasta sauces.

"All of our wines are made from grapes grown, vintaged and bottled at our winery in Hopewell, Washington County," said Mrs. Miller, whose nephew, Andrew Robinson, manages the store when she's not able to be there. "Our product extends from the vine to the wine in the bottle.."

The store's inventory can be sampled daily free of charge. According to Mrs. Miller, the winery's best-selling wines are the Cabernet Franc, Jackman, a dry red blend similar to a Chianti, and Vidal Blanc, a dry white. For those buying a case or more, the winery offers a 10 percent discount.

The C. T. Miller Winery satellite store, at 2757 E. Carson St. is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. For more information, visit www.ctmillervineyards.com.